In this week’s Ask Nathan:
- You should call yourselves TFL electric autos overkill!
- Buying a cheap truck; should I go cash or credit?
- Ha ha! You’re shorter than you say!
The first question comes from a reader who says TFL is supporting (or, should be called) electric autos overkill.
Q: (Via NathanAdlen@Twitter) Seriously, let’s call TFL Electric Autos Overkill!
Nobody is going to buy EV geniuses! That’s all you cover and its like you enjoy the electric autos overkill idea too much! I don’t know a single person in Nevada that’s even considered an EV! Nobody does and nobody will!
— M
A: Chill man… thanks for the “TFL electric autos overkill” suggestion.
I like EV domination, myself. Which is what you mentioned in the past.
Let’s get right to the point: you’re afraid that someone is going to take your gas vehicle away soon – right? You’re worried about not having an internal combustion engine to choose from in the near future – am I correct? Well, I worry a bit about it too. Still, there is no indication that we’ll lose our chunky V8s altogether, it’s more like they will be for only a select few vehicles in the near future.
The reason we cover a lot of EVs (electric vehicles) is because there are a TON of EVs coming our way.
Our job is to report on automotive news. We don’t control the narrative, and we don’t have any influence on what the government of each country mandates as acceptable powertrains. Sure, we add our perspective, but you’re pointing the finger in the wrong direction. You see, electrification is coming – in one way or another. It’s up to you whether or not you can accept that.
Here’s a list of electrified vehicles we will see in the next 12 to 18 months, including other innovations (and these are just a few examples):
- Audi e-tron GT
- BMW i4 and iX
- Cadillac Lyriq
- EV Side-By-Sides and ATVs
- Evoke EV motorcycles
- Ford Mustang Mach E
- GMC Hummer pickup
- Honda SUV-E
- Infiniti EV Crossover
- Jeep Trailhead Charging Network
- Jeep 4xe and their Magneto Concept
- KIA EV6
- Lincoln Corsair PHEV
- Mercedes-Benz EQS
- Nissan Ariya
- Polestar – the whole brand
- Quick Charge EV stations
- Rivian Adventure Network (RAN) charging stations, the R1S and the R1T
- Stellantis / Peugeot EVs
- Tesla Cybertruck
- UTV EV Off-road racing
- Volkswagen ID.4
- Workhorse EV Fleet vehicles
- XPENG Motors
- Yes Solar Solutions for EV charging
- Z-Tractor (autonomous EV tractors)
These vehicles and innovations are available now, or will be soon. I covered (nearly) every letter of the alphabet, and this is only a small portion of the electrified goodies headed our way.
Would you rather we not cover it? Not gonna happen my friend; because it’s news, and it is on its way soon.
– N
The next question comes from a fan who is about to buy a used truck. He wants to know if it’s smarter to get the whole truck for cash, or make payments and have immediate money to play with.
Q: I’m buying a cheap truck for about $6,500. Should I go cash or credit and do payments?
I have the cash to do it, but if I finance I can afford upgrades. Otherwise I will haver to settle on a simple truck and save up all over again to do fun things with it. What would you do?
— Hank from OKC
A: Hi Hank! Thanks for the email!
I have a rule that I try to follow as often as possible: pay cash as often as you can. My reasoning is simple and more complex perspectives are accessible from my friend Motoman. Simply put, even with a good 2.9-percent interest rate, you’ll end up adding thousands to your vehicle’s total. Suddenly, you could be paying about $9,000 for a $6,500 truck.
It’s true. A good friend of mine, who just moved back to the West Coast, wanted to buy an SUV for about $45,000. He got a five-year finance rate of 4.9-percent, which is considered acceptable to many consumers – nowadays. Not only will he pay nearly $55,000 for his SUV, his insurance is over $150 more than his basic policy per month. Over five years, that extra insurance will mean about $9,000 as well.
In five years – he will spend $64,000 on a $45,000 SUV that will depreciate between $10,000 to $20,000 by then.
I know, it’s easy to fall for the ease of keeping your pile of cash (mostly) untouched, at first. Still, those payments are a real pain and the added costs on top of those payments suck too. My point is, you’ll save a ton of dough holding off on payments.
The bottom line is: save your money the hard way, or blow it the easy way.
— N
The last question(s)/statement(s) come from a disgruntled viewer who’s been trolling me about my height. These comments are condensed, and they come from several videos.
Q: (Via YouTube)
(These are only a few of the several comments I got from Carolus M. He’s been on me for several videos about my height.)
- Typical 5’10” Nathan!
- You are not 6’1″!
- You’re a liar!
- Hogging the spotlight when you’re only 5’10”!
- Prove it! Prove to me you’re 6’1″
- I’m calling you out because you’re way shorter than Roman!
- You’re shorter than you say!
- I hate my mother! (Not real – but funny)
- You’re 5’9″ or 5′ 10″
— C Magnus
A: Someone trolling has issues, but I can see the confusion.
I normally ignore or block trolls, sometimes I insult them too…but I wanted to answer this one because he’s wrong.
If I stand straight up, without slouching, with no shoes on (legs together) – I am over six feet. With shoes or boots on, I’m at or over 6’1″.
The thing is, I had reconstructive surgery on my right foot and leg recently. This is one of the reasons I’ve been in a boot on and off over the past few years. Standing is still difficult, so I tend to have a wide gait, and I slouch like crazy. My right foot is missing a lot of bits, so it’s shorter in every dimension. Thus, standing is (and looks) awkward.
Still, when I lean against a wall and stand at attention, my height is about 6’1″.
As I regain my balance and health, I hope to stand a little taller. In more ways than one.
— N
Check out our first official off-road review of the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392!
